Diverter spout plumbing fixture



Dec. 22, 1953 s. KERSTEN ETAL 2,663,539

DIVERTER SPOUT PLUMBING FIXTURE Filed 001;. 27, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l www- 7 INVENTORS.

Dec. 22, 1953 s. KERSTEN ETAL DIVERTER SPOUT PLUMBING FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 27, 1948 INVENTORS 1 /?;r5ZZ /v 54442222 Patented Dec. 22, 1953 DIVEE'EER SPOUT PLUMBING FIXTURE Samuel Kersten and Alton F. Sautter, Chicago, 111.; said Sautter assignor to said Kersten Application Qctober 27, 1948, Serial No. 56,744

2 Glaims.

Our invention relates to combination plumbing fittings of type permitting water to be directed to either one of two outlets. t relates more in particular to a so-called diverter spout for use in such combination.

lfhere are many instances in which it is desired to deliver hot, cold, or tempered water normally through one outlet to provide means for diverting such water to another outlet. Illustrative is an arrangement commonly employed in home bath installations in which water is normally delivered through a bathtub spout, but may be diverted to a shower head if desired. Such assemblies generally employ a so-called diverter fixture or cliverter spout, so constructed and arranged that water from the hot and cold faucets may be adjusted to the desired tempera ture through the bathtub spout, and the diverter then operated to direct the water so tempered to the shower head. All such installations devices, so far as we know, have possessed some undesirable feature. Frequently, for example, when the diverter spout is so arranged that the water is readily diverted to the shower head, the diverter must be operated. in the opposite direction to again deliver the water through the bathtub spout when the faucets have been turned off and again turned on. Devices which have overcome this objection have frequently been relatively expensive or complicated or objectionable for some other reason.

The principal oi ject of our invention is the provision of an improved diverter spout use with assemblies of the type identified.

Another object is the provision of diverter spout which will automatically return to a position to deliver water through the bathtub spout when the flow of water through the shower head has been discontinued.

Still another object is the provision of a verter spout construction in which the water is automatically drained from the shower head riser when the hot and cold water valves have been turned on.

Still another object is the provision of an improved combination shower and bathtub installation.

In the drawings we have disclosed certain preferred embodiments of our invention, including two different forms of spouts and three diiierent forms of combination installations employing such spouts.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an installation in which the control valves are concealed in a partition, the cliverter spout at tached to piping for delivery of water to a tub and the shower head projecting above the (iiverter spout with the piping, including the riser pipe, concealed. in the partition behind the spout and the shower head;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, vertical, sectional view of the diverter spout shown in Fig. 1, the parts be ing at the positions which they normally occupy when water is being delivered through the spout to the bathtub;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the diverter spout with its parts in the positions which they assumejust before the water is about to be diverted to the shower head;

l is a sectional view similar to Figs. 2 and 3, but showing the parts in the positions which they normally occupy when water is being dclivered through the shower head;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line t e of Fig. 1, showing a special arrangement of cross fitting;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to l, but showing a somewhat different arrangement of pipin Fig. 7 is a perspective view of installation showing still another piping arrangement and diverter spout particularly adapted for use installations in which it is necessary to provide exposed riser to the shower head;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view showing the divertcr spout Fig. 7;

Figs. 9 and 10 are enlarged, elevations-i views. partly in section, showing the diverter spout with its parts in modified positions;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the diverts-r spout of the immediately preceding figures, with the riser pipe in section.

In accordance with the rn-"in :feat res of our invention, we provide an entirely free valve body, preferably a ball, but capable of taking some other forms, which valve body is normally housed a bottom recess of the diverter spout entirely out of the path of the water which flows therethrough when the spout is being used to deliver ater to the normal spout outlet. Associated with the valve body, however, and preferably comprising a tubular member projecting through a the valve body, we provide an actuating nieml completely unattached to the valve body. valve body is thereby capable of being rectly into the path of the water for hydraulic projection to a seat against which it is held by water pressure to prevent discharging water through the spout and thereby divertin the to another outlet which may be part of the diverter spout fitting or a part of the piping construction associated with the diverterspout.

Preferably associated with the valve actuating member, we also provide a bleeder opening, so arranged that when the flow of water to the sec-- ond outlet is discontinued by turning oif the faucets controlling the water supply, the pressure will be relieved suficiently to permit the valve body to fall into its normal recess in the diverter spout, drain the water from the riser and associated piping, and set the diverter spout into condition for normal operation for delivery of water to a bathtub outlet or the like.

In Fig. l we show an installation in which the hot and cold water control valves 12 and is, respectively, deliver water to a cross fitting i l for normal delivery downwardly through pipe it and pipe I? to the diverter spout, indicated generally by the reference character 18. As shown in Fig. 5, the cross fitting It is provided with a pair of baffles ill for normally directing the water to the pipe l5, although in many installations it is not necessary to employ a special cross fitting with baiiies of this character. Fig. 1 also shows a riser pipe 2i leading from the cross fitting It to a shower head fixture 22. As the drawing indicates in this installation, only the shower fitting 22, di verter spout l8, and adjustable portions of "the control valves project through the surface of the wall comprising the partition 23, the piping other wise being entirely concealed, as is common in modern, new installations.

The diverter spout l8 comprises a body portion at with an interior thread suitably arranged for attachment to the pipe ll. Immediately in with the outlet from the pipe ii and, therefore, in the path of the water we provide a valve seat leading to an outlet 2'3. Below the main body portion is a. generally tubular bottom projection 28 forming an inner bottom recess 29, by means of which a ball valve 31 may be housed as in so as to be entirely out of the path of water lowing from the pipe ii to the outlet 2'1". A generally tubular actuating member 32 is vertically reciprocable in a packing nut 53 and has an annular flange 38. which rests against the top of the pa ing nut when the actuating member 32 is in its lowermost position. At the bottom the actuating member has a bleerler opening 35 and a its top, seat 35 for the ball 3!. Gaskets 3i and 35 provided at two positions between the packing nut and the bottom projection 23. The interior of the body portion of the diverter spout is pitched toward the bottom recess 29 so that at any time water is not flowing in the diverter spout, the ball will automatically move into the direction of the said recess. The actuating member 32 is also relatively free in the packing nut 33, so that it will fall by its own weight to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

One manner of employing the diverter spout of our invention is in an installation such as shown in Fig. 1. When so used, the control valves 12 and B3 are adjusted to temper the water as desired, the water so-tempered automatically and normally flowing through the outlet 2i. When the water has been tempered as desiredand this can be determined by merely holding the hand below the diverter spout-the actuating member 32 is lifted to place the ball 3! in the path of. the water as it moves from pipe ll. The ball so raised will be substantially in the position shown in Fig. 3, and from this position will be moved by water pressure against the seat 2%, and will be held such seat by hydraulic pressure. The water will then 4 be forced up through the opening between the baflles l9 and the riser 2! for delivery through the shower head. As soon as pressure has begun to build up, the actuating member 32 is released and it falls to the position shown in Fig. l and remains in this position so long as water is being delivered through the shower head. When the control valves are turned off and there is no longer water pressure in the system, a small amount of water will bleed through the opening 35 and allow the ball to move away from its seat. The ball will then move by its own weight through the water to the position shown in Fig. 2 and such water as remains in the riser and associated piping will be discharged through the outlet 21. The parts will remain in this position until the control valves are again turned on and the actuating member 32 again lifted. Until the actuating member 32 is so lifted, water will be discharged through the outlet 2? just as if the fixture comprised only the ordinary bathtub spout. When the diverter spout is used in this manner, the sealing of the ball 3i against its seat and the sealing of the flange 3 against the gasket 31 will prevent loss of water at the bottom of the spout.

The installation shown in Fig. 6 is substantially the same as shown in Fig. l, the spout l3, shower head 22, and control valves 12 and I3 being the same as in the first-described embodiment. In Fig. 6, however, the water is delivered to a T 4], to a pipe 62, and by connection to an ordinary elbow to a pipe 63 for delivery to the spout I8. Inserted in the line comprising the pipe 43, however, is a T 44, by means of which a riser 46 is connected into the system. This arrangement makes it unnecessary to employ special types of cross fittings, but has the disadvantage that two pipes must be contained within the partition. In this system, however, as will be obvious, our diverter spout can operate exactly as in the firstdescribed embodiment.

The form of the invention shown in Figs. '7 to 11, inclusive, is meant to be used on an old installation, or in any type of installation where, because of convenience or necessity, some of the pipe is exposed. In this form the control valves I2 and [3 are within the partition 23 and they discharge water through horizontal pipes to a T 41, through a vertical pipe 48 and horizontal pipe 49 to a modified type of diverter spout, here indicated generally by the reference character 5|. All of the piping, except the handles of the valve controls l2 and I3 and. the spout 5|, may be concealed within the partition 23, this being a typical installation found in bathrooms in which shower facilities were not originally provided.

The diverter spout 5| is in most respects identical with the diverter spout [-8 and to identify identical portions we employ the same reference characters used in the first-described embodiment, with the prefix l to indicate modification. Thus, the main body portion is indicated by the reference character I2, the valve seat by the reference character I26, etc.

At the top of the diverter spout 5i, we provide an apertured boss 52 for the attachment of a riser pipe 53 by means of a construction embodying a packing nut 54 or any usual construction employed in the plumbing art for the attachment of pipes to fittings. The pipe 53 leads to a shower head fixture 56, provided with a bracket 51 for attachment to the wall 23. A guard 58 is provided to prevent any possibility of the ball l3! being forced against or into the pipe 53. It is, of course, understood that the ball i3! and associated parts may be so dimensioned as to avoid any possibility of the ball becoming lodged in the riser pipe.

The device shown in Figs. 7 to 11, inclusive, functions in substantially the same manner as the device described in the original embodiment; except, however, that the water, instead of moving back through a pipe system, is caused to rise directly in the riser 53 from the diverter spout body. In all other respects, however, the functioning is identical, it being obvious that when the ball is against its seat, as shown in Fig. 10, the water will rise in pipe 53 and be discharged at the shower head outlet; but, as soon as the control valves I2 and [3, have been closed, the ball l3! falls back into the recess I29 and permits the water to drain from the riser through the outlet I21. In both instances, the ball l3! may be introduced simply by removing the packing nut at the end of the lower projection and introducing the valve body. The diverter spout may be serviced or inspected in the same manner; and, if after long, continued use it should be necessary to repair the seat, it may be done in the usual manner. It will be understood, also, that the diverter spout may be furnished with any suitable type of seat, such as a renewable seat or the like, all of which are known in the plumbing art.

The invention has been described in detail to permit those skilled in the art to practice same, but its scope will be defined in the claims.

What we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A plumbing fixture in the form of a diverter spout comprising a body portion having a lower generally tubular recess, a water discharge outlet, a water inlet, a valve seat disposed in the flow path on the outlet side and in proximity to the said recess, a ball valve in the recess normally out of the path of the water as it flows to said outlet and adapted to be forced against the said seat when introduced into the path of the flowing water stream, and an actuating member projecting downwardly from the said recess and adapted to be raised to elevate the ball valve into the path of the stream for lodgment against the said valve seat, said actuating member having a tubular portion projecting downwardly through the body, an upper annular flange and a seat for the ball, a recess at the bottom of the tubular portion,

means communicating said recess with the atmosphere to function as a continuous bleeder while the ball valve is against the first-mentioned seat, but closed when the ball is against the second-mentioned seat.

2. A plumbing fixture in the form of a diverter spout comprising a body portion having a lower generally tubular recess, a water discharge outlet, a water inlet, a valve seat disposed in the flow path on the outlet side and in proximity to the said recess, a ball valve in the recess normally out of the path of the water as it flows to said outlet and adapted to be forced against the said seat when introduced into the path of the flowing water stream, and an actuating member p-rojecting downwardly from the said recess and adapted to be raised to elevate the ball valve into the path of the stream for lodgment against the said valve seat, said actuating member having a tubular portion projecting downwardly through the body, an upper annular flange and a seat for the ball, a recess at the bottom of the tubular portion, means communicating said recess with the atmosphere to function as a continuous bleeder while the ball valve is against the first-mentioned seat, but closed when the ball is against the second-mentioned seat and packing means between said annular flange and the body portion.

SAMUEL KERSTEN. ALTON F. SAUTTER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 658,797 Moeres Oct. 2, 1900 871,717 Lyter Nov. 19, 1907 1,318,521 Wolfi Oct. 14, 1919 1,653,956 Glauber Dec. 27, 1927 1,777,434 Herzbrun Oct. 7, 1930 1,786,848 Johnson Dec. 20, 1930 1,809,567 Pasman June 9, 1931 1,878,097 Bletcher Sept. 20, 1932 1,890,494 Borden Dec. 13, 1932 2,043,668 Kohler June 9, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 12,475 Great Britain of 1886 527,345 Great Britain of 1940 

